Severing of A Bond
by King Charlie
Summary: Sasuke and Naruto face off just this one last time, their true feelings relived before it's too late


Sasuke sighed as his feet his the ground, looking out into the horizon he could see Hokage Mountain from where he stood. The sun was starting to set and cast shadows every where, in a few hours most of the town would be asleep and he would be able to sneak in undetected

Pakkun's head shot up in Naruto's lap and he started to sniff the air, he turned his head to Kakashi across the room and gave him a curt nod before taking off. Naruto looked bemused up at Kakashi who was obviously good at masking his facial expressions. "What's that about Kakashi-sensai?"

"I think you better put your shoes on Naruto, you too Sakura. It seems we have different plans for the night." Kakashi strolled across the room and slipped his Jonin jacket back on, zipping it up while walking towards the front door of his apartment.

"Kakashi-sensai, what did Pakkun smell?" Sakura stood next to him, her eyes glistening hopefully. There would only be one reason it would the three of them, knowing full well if it was of grave importance they would be calling on Sai to join them. Naruto looked between the two of them and tried to figure out what was going on without asking any stupid questions, no matter how much he wanted too. They all slipped their shoes back on and took off behind Kakashi towards the edge of town, bounding over fences and on top of roofs to get to higher ground before they leapt over the town's gate itself. Naruto stopped in his tracks, having to turn his foot sideways to keep from loosing balance when he stopped. The dark figure that Sakura and Kakashi kept heading for was one that he knew, one he would always knew no matter how much time went by that they were separated. His heart started to beat erratically as he tried to make sense of situation but couldn't, he was frozen in the spot. Sakura and Kakashi stopped a few paces before Sasuke who's back was turned to them but no one said anything, the silence and shadows that hung around the four of them was filling up and screaming with the things left unsaid.

Sasuke turned his head to look over his shoulder, ignoring Kakashi and Sakura to look straight at Naruto clutching his chest before his eyes flicked to the other too. His palm rest on the hilt of his sword while the other arm hung at his side, he slowly turned around to face them. The Uchiha's face was void of any expression as always, even when he started to walk forward. Kakashi and Sakura moved into a defensive stance but did nothing as he walked by them, even Naruto didn't move when Sasuke was just a foot in front of him. "Why are you here Sasuke?" He hated the fact that his voice shook, unsure if it was in a sense of relief in seeing his friend after so long or in anger from the events that unfolded last time. "I told you Naruto, this town must pay for Itachi's sacrifice. They're laughing at him as if he's a common criminal. They don't know the suffering he went through, what I went through so I'll make them know."

Naruto's fist closed tighter around the chest of his jacket. "What about my pain Sasuke? They laughed and sneered at me my whole life. My parents sacrificed themselves to save me and this entire village. I would never sully their gift with acts of revenge and hatred." Sasuke made a small curt noise and cut his eyes away from Naruto. "If you try to hurt these people I will stop you, even if it kills me." No matte how strong he wanted to sound the threat came out weak. His arm dropped back to his side while his eyes stayed transfixed on Sasuke who refused to look back at him. "Be that way then." Sasuke unsheathed his katana in the blink of an eye to slash at Naruto, his other arm flying up behind him to entangle Sakura who had changed him the second he moved in a group of snakes. There was a poof of smoke where Naruto had been standing and Sasuke had only cut a log in half to send the two side spinning into the shadows of the wooded area. Sasuke's foot seemed to sink in the ground, his sword being stabbed into the area in font of it to deflect the kunai Kakashi had thrown in an attempt to try and immobilize him. Sakura was able to tar apart the snakes and break through her binds to rush back at Sasuke. They were a clash of steel and fists and anger. Sakura felt betrayed by her teammate, someone she had spent her whole life loving just to be burdened with the knowledge of him never caring about her half as much as she would always about him. Tears started to streak down her face with how enraged she was becoming, animalistic shouts would come out the few times she managed to land a blow on him. Finally she was able to kick him in the hip that knocked him back several feet. "Can't you see what you're doing? To all of us? We trusted you! We loved you Sasuke! You were our friend! How could you just do this?"

Her sobs wracked her shoulders and forced her to fall to her knees. When Sasuke stood he limped to her, his katana against her neck. "Do you trust me now? Right before I take you life? Would you be able to still look into my eyes and say you love me?" She looked up, her swelling jade eyes into his obsidian ones that were full of hate not directed at her. "Yes. I love you Sasuke." Her words fell out from her lips, they were barely heard above the cackling sound of lightening forming between his fingers.

Sasuke moved so fast it was a wonder they the three of them even knew what had happened. His sword turned in his hand to bring the hilt down on her head hard enough to knock her out, his body turning in time grab Kakashi by the back of his neck when he lunched through the ground for Sasuke. The electricity formed in his palm was enough to sort circuit Kakashi's brain and leave him in a helpless heap next to Sakura's prone form.

"What's wrong, scaredy cat?" Sasuke teased the hiding Naruto with words from their past, something that would get a rise out of him. "I'm really disappointed you've yet to show up. Still abusing the one technique you ever learned." Naruto leapt from a tree to land in front of Sasuke, a kunai in hand to deflect the defense blow from Saskue's katana. "You're one to talk. Who would you eve be with out your eyes and lightening?" Naruto pushed forward to make them both bound back and put space between them. His now yellow eyes were focused on the face that Sasuke had yet to use him sharingan and questioned why. His intent to kill was obvious in his aura, Naruto didn't need to be in sage mode to sense that.

"Stop acting like you know anything about me. You have no idea what I'm capable of." Sasuke warned him, the tip of his katana sank into the ground next to him while he planned five steps ahead of Naruto. "I know how alike we are. You know loneliness and lose just like I do, even if it's on a different scale, I know you're pain."

Sasuke lost his cold demeanor and lunge at Naruto who didn't so much as flinch while Sasuke pushed him up against a tree, gripping roughly onto his shoulders. "You don't know anything about me! You were alone from the start! You're a freak! We are not the same at all!" Sasuke punch him hard in the jaw, Naruto's head bouncing off the tree behind him and hanging limp for a moment before he cough up blood with a laugh. "Maybe I am. But I'm stronger than you. I know right from wrong without anyone having to teach me. Even if I was born a freak that's okay. But I'll die to protect what I believe. Are you willing to do that?" Sasuke screamed and punched Naruto again much harder to knock him off his feet, the blond coughing up more blood and his back arching in pain.

Sasuke pick up his discarded katana where he left it and walked back over to Naruto, straddle his waist and letting the blade of his katana sink into the ground next to his head. "Give me one reason to keep from killing you again." Naruto blinked slowly as if he was dazed from the fall but kept his yellow eyes fixed on Sasuke. "I got nothing. I can't save my friend, I was the reason my parents died, I couldn't save my village from being destroyed. A war is starting over my life Sasuke, you might do me a favor by killing me." Sasuke grew angrier when Naruto spoke, knowing they were all lies that the blonde was just repeating as if they were excuses he had heard his whole life.

"I really hate people who lie to themselves." His words were muttered out of annoyance. "Yeah, me too." Naruto coughed again from speaking and his body bucked under Sasuke's, even with the kyubbi inside healing his wounds it still took time for the pain to ebb away and it felt as if his head was many sizes too large.


End file.
